Yahoo! Games

Matt Stroup

Roundball Stew

The Mighty McRoberts

I wrote this column while fighting through a vicious case of food poisoning, so it’s fitting that our focal point this week is a collection of players who have probably been digested and regurgitated by your league’s waiver wire multiple times in recent months.

Here’s a look at some options to consider from the gastric depths of fantasy hoops free agency:

(Note: All of these players are owned in less than 20 percent of Yahoo leagues)

Josh McRoberts (15 percent owned): He’s probably gone in a lot of competitive leagues already, so this is a memo to owners in shallower leagues to check and see if he’s out there. McRoberts took over as the Bobcats’ starting PF back on March 9, and has posted 12.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.6 spg and 0.8 bpg in his last five games. Add him if he’s still available, and if you already added him, be pleased that you did. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-4-3-2)

Jonas Valanciunas (19 percent owned): Another guy who may already be gone, but is worth checking on in shallower leagues. The No. 5 pick overall pick in 2011 has posted 18 points in back-to-back games, raising his averages to 13.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 1.0 bpg in his last six games (including 66.0 percent from the field and 88.9 percent from the line during that stretch). In addition to providing some low-end value right now, the 21-year-old has a lot of potential for a breakout next year. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-4-3-2)

Moe Harkless (19 percent owned; mentioned in this column about nine times the last four weeks): Over the last month (17 games), Harkless has averaged 12.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.9 spg, 0.7 bpg and 1.0 3s. The 19-year-old has been surprisingly steady during the streak, scoring double figures in 15 of 17 games while scoring somewhere between 10 and 13 points 11 times. It doesn’t add up to a whole lot of intrigue on a game-to-game basis, but overall the combo of points, threes, steals and blocks makes him a useful option. (Remaining weekly games played: 4-4-2-2)

Shaun Livingston (15 percent owned): There’s nothing too exciting about his recent numbers (12.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.4 spg in his last five games), but there is a little bit of value here if you need a point guard. I would like Livingston significantly better as a fantasy option if he hit the occasional trey, but obviously that isn’t happening given that he’s 0-of-4 on the season. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-4-4-2)

Wes Johnson (5 percent owned): Johnson has averaged 12.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 spg and 1.3 3s in his last 12 games, but he’s been wildly inconsistent during that run (scoring totals in his last 12 games: 14, 8, 15, 5, 19, 5, 18, 15, 6, 8, 14, 18). I don’t expect that inconsistency to change, so I see him as more of a streaming/waiver wire roulette option in daily leagues as opposed to someone you want to keep on your roster for the long run. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-3-3-2)

Brandan Wright (11 percent owned): I wouldn’t run to pick him up in standard leagues, but Wright has been decent this month off Dallas’ bench (11.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg in his last 10 games), and is worth considering as a streaming option in daily formats. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-4-3-2)

Reggie Evans (19 percent owned): Averaging just 4.4 ppg in 43 games as a starter this season, Evans has been, relatively speaking, on a scoring binge lately, posting 7.8 ppg and 16.0 rpg in his last eight games. Obviously those rebounds provide a notable boost – and in deeper formats it may be hard to bench Evans – but don’t let the boards fool you into thinking that he has good value. During this eight-game stretch, Evans is the No. 147-ranked player in Basketball Monster’s 9-category rankings, largely because he’s a minus in so many other categories (0.1 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.3 bpg, 53.3 percent from the line in his last eight games). As a streaming play I’m all for it, because those random 20-rebound games can be huge, but I would weigh your team’s needs carefully before putting Evans into your lineup every night. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-3-4-2)

Garrett Temple (1 percent owned): With Bradley Beal (ankle) injured again, Temple could warrant a look in deeper leagues – especially given that the Wizards have a couple of four-game weeks coming up. Averaging 36 minutes in his last five games, Temple has posted 10.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.4 spg and 1.0 3s during that stretch. (Remaining weekly games played: 4-4-3-2)

Mike James (3 percent owned): And, we have officially plummeted to the most profound depths of waiver wire desperation. The 37-year-old has started the last nine games for Dallas, posting just enough stats to warrant a mention here: 9.8 ppg, 4.7 apg and 2.2 3s. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-4-3-2)

And on that note, I think I’ll sign off, because considering the possibility of adding James off waivers is making me sick to my stomach.

I wrote this column while fighting through a vicious case of food poisoning, so it’s fitting that our focal point this week is a collection of players who have probably been digested and regurgitated by your league’s waiver wire multiple times in recent months.

Here’s a look at some options to consider from the gastric depths of fantasy hoops free agency:

(Note: All of these players are owned in less than 20 percent of Yahoo leagues)

Josh McRoberts (15 percent owned): He’s probably gone in a lot of competitive leagues already, so this is a memo to owners in shallower leagues to check and see if he’s out there. McRoberts took over as the Bobcats’ starting PF back on March 9, and has posted 12.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.6 spg and 0.8 bpg in his last five games. Add him if he’s still available, and if you already added him, be pleased that you did. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-4-3-2)

Jonas Valanciunas (19 percent owned): Another guy who may already be gone, but is worth checking on in shallower leagues. The No. 5 pick overall pick in 2011 has posted 18 points in back-to-back games, raising his averages to 13.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 1.0 bpg in his last six games (including 66.0 percent from the field and 88.9 percent from the line during that stretch). In addition to providing some low-end value right now, the 21-year-old has a lot of potential for a breakout next year. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-4-3-2)

Moe Harkless (19 percent owned; mentioned in this column about nine times the last four weeks): Over the last month (17 games), Harkless has averaged 12.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.9 spg, 0.7 bpg and 1.0 3s. The 19-year-old has been surprisingly steady during the streak, scoring double figures in 15 of 17 games while scoring somewhere between 10 and 13 points 11 times. It doesn’t add up to a whole lot of intrigue on a game-to-game basis, but overall the combo of points, threes, steals and blocks makes him a useful option. (Remaining weekly games played: 4-4-2-2)

Shaun Livingston (15 percent owned): There’s nothing too exciting about his recent numbers (12.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.4 spg in his last five games), but there is a little bit of value here if you need a point guard. I would like Livingston significantly better as a fantasy option if he hit the occasional trey, but obviously that isn’t happening given that he’s 0-of-4 on the season. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-4-4-2)

Wes Johnson (5 percent owned): Johnson has averaged 12.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 spg and 1.3 3s in his last 12 games, but he’s been wildly inconsistent during that run (scoring totals in his last 12 games: 14, 8, 15, 5, 19, 5, 18, 15, 6, 8, 14, 18). I don’t expect that inconsistency to change, so I see him as more of a streaming/waiver wire roulette option in daily leagues as opposed to someone you want to keep on your roster for the long run. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-3-3-2)

Brandan Wright (11 percent owned): I wouldn’t run to pick him up in standard leagues, but Wright has been decent this month off Dallas’ bench (11.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg in his last 10 games), and is worth considering as a streaming option in daily formats. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-4-3-2)

Reggie Evans (19 percent owned): Averaging just 4.4 ppg in 43 games as a starter this season, Evans has been, relatively speaking, on a scoring binge lately, posting 7.8 ppg and 16.0 rpg in his last eight games. Obviously those rebounds provide a notable boost – and in deeper formats it may be hard to bench Evans – but don’t let the boards fool you into thinking that he has good value. During this eight-game stretch, Evans is the No. 147-ranked player in Basketball Monster’s 9-category rankings, largely because he’s a minus in so many other categories (0.1 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.3 bpg, 53.3 percent from the line in his last eight games). As a streaming play I’m all for it, because those random 20-rebound games can be huge, but I would weigh your team’s needs carefully before putting Evans into your lineup every night. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-3-4-2)

Garrett Temple (1 percent owned): With Bradley Beal (ankle) injured again, Temple could warrant a look in deeper leagues – especially given that the Wizards have a couple of four-game weeks coming up. Averaging 36 minutes in his last five games, Temple has posted 10.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.4 spg and 1.0 3s during that stretch. (Remaining weekly games played: 4-4-3-2)

Mike James (3 percent owned): And, we have officially plummeted to the most profound depths of waiver wire desperation. The 37-year-old has started the last nine games for Dallas, posting just enough stats to warrant a mention here: 9.8 ppg, 4.7 apg and 2.2 3s. (Remaining weekly games played: 3-4-3-2)

And on that note, I think I’ll sign off, because considering the possibility of adding James off waivers is making me sick to my stomach.